Shooting Glove

ABSTRACT

The shooting gloves of this invention improves the shooter&#39;s ability to maintain the proper grip and hand orientation on a handgun. The shooting gloves have select areas on the outside of the glove covered by a viscid coating or sections of material that provide a tacky surface texture to the gloves. The viscid areas are strategically located on the gloves so that the viscid areas of the opposite glove contact each other when the shooter takes a conventional two handed grip of a handgun. The contacting viscid areas provide enhanced tactile feel and increased mechanical friction between the gloves that helps the shooter maintain the proper grip and hand position as the handgun is discharged. It should be noted that the viscid areas are located on the gloves not so as to directly contact the handgun, but are located on the gloves to directly contact corresponding or mating viscid areas of the other glove. The viscid areas of both right and left handed gloves are symmetrical, which allows the pair to be used by either right or left handed shooters.

This invention relates generally to gloves worn for shooting firearms, in particular, shooting gloves for maintaining a proper grip and hand orientation on the handgun.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Tactical Shooters and marksmen often wear gloves to protect their hands. During rapid fire shooting, invariably, the gloved fingers loosen or become displaced compromising a proper shooting grip which diminishes accuracy. This is particularly true for shooters using the two handed, “thumbs forward” grip which is a preferred method and convention for military, law enforcement and competition shooters. During successive discharge, the orientation of the shooters hand often degrades due to recoil and the grip tension between the hands, as well as between the hands and the handgun. As the two handed grip degrades and the orientation of the hands on the gun and with respect to each other is compromised accuracy is lost.

The shooting gloves of this invention improve the shooter's ability to maintain the proper grip and hand orientation on a handgun. The shooting gloves have select areas on the outside of the gloves covered by a viscid coating or sections of material that provide a tacky surface texture to the gloves. The viscid areas are strategically located on the gloves so that the viscid areas of the opposite glove contact each other when the shooter takes a conventional two handed grip of a handgun. The contacting viscid areas provide enhanced tactile feel and increased mechanical friction between the gloves that helps the shooter maintain the proper grip and hand position as the handgun is discharged. It should be noted that the viscid areas are located on the gloves not so as to directly contact the handgun, but are located on the gloves to directly contact corresponding or mating viscid areas of the other glove. The viscid areas of both the right and left handed gloves are symmetrical, which allows the pair to be used by either right or left handed shooters.

The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may take form in various system and method components and arrangement of system and method components. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. The drawings illustrate the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a right handed glove of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a back of the hand view of the right handed glove of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a palm view of the right handed glove of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a palm view of a left handed glove of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a back of the hand view of the left handed glove of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the right handed glove positioned to grip a pistol;

FIG. 7 is a left side view of the gloves of this invention while a right handed shooter grips a pistol; and

FIG. 8 is a right side view of the gloves of this invention while a right handed shooter grips a pistol.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-8 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the shooting gloves of this invention, which are designated generally as reference numeral 100. Gloves 100 of this invention are designed and intended to be used in pairs, that is both a glove fashioned for the shooter's right hand 100 and a glove fashioned for the shooter's left hand 100′. It should be noted that both right hand and left hand gloves are symmetrical and identical in style, construction and function.

The shooting gloves of this invention may take any suitable form or style as desired. The gloves are constructed from clothes, fabrics and materials selected for durability and light weight, comfort, touch, stretch and dexterity. The body of the gloves are fashioned from component parts sewn or joined together. Those component parts may include tranks, digit parts, fourchettes, gussets, sockets, domes, straps, rollers, points, quirks and vents as desired dependent on the desired style and size of the gloves. Typically, the component parts of the gloves are assembled and sewn together and/or otherwise fashioned using conventional methods and equipment.

For the purpose of illustrating and explaining this invention, glove 100 can be considered as having five sections and/or parts: the palm (volar) section 110: the opisthenar section (dorsal) 120, the heel/wrist section 130; the thumb parts 140; and four finger parts 150, 160, 170 and 180. As shown, select areas of the outside of glove 100 are covered by a viscid coating or sections of material that provide a tacky surface texture to the gloves. In certain embodiments, the viscid coating may take the form of an applied coating of rubber, silicone or similar type material to the particular regions or areas of the gloves. The coating may include a granular additive to provide an abrasive texture to the coating. In other embodiments, additional sections of fabric or material having a tacky surface texture are sewn or bonded to the glove. As shown, each of gloves 100 and 100′ have viscid areas on the posterior and anterior sides of the thumb and all four fingers, except for the trigger finger. The viscid areas of both right and left handed gloves 100 and 100′ are symmetrical, which allows the pair to be used by either right or left handed shooters.

As best shown in FIGS. 2-5, each of gloves 100 and 100′ have posterior and anterior viscid areas 142 and 144 of thumb 140, posterior and anterior viscid areas 162, 164 of middle finger 160, posterior and anterior viscid areas 172, 174 of ring finger 170, posterior and anterior viscid areas 182, 184 of little finger 180, but a single anterior viscid area 155 of trigger finger 150. Viscid area (posterior) 142 of thumb 140 generally covers the medial potions of opisthenar section 120, heel/wrist section 130 and the posterior surface of thumb part 140. Viscid area (posterior) 142 of thumb 140 extends from the base of heel/wrist section 130 and terminates short of the distal end of thumb section 140 (approximate the location of the first knuckle of the shooter's thumb). Viscid area (anterior) 144 of thumb 140 covers the anterior surface of thumb part 140 extending to the tip of thumb 140. Viscid area (anterior) 152 of trigger finger 150 covers the anterior surface of finger part 150 and extends from the base to the middle point of the finger part. Viscid areas (anterior) 162, 172 and 182 and viscid area (posterior) 164, 174 and 184 generally cover the anterior and posterior surfaces of middle, ring and little fingers 160,170 and 180, respectively, and extends to the base or web of the finger parts. In alternative embodiments, the viscid areas of the middle, ring and little fingers may extends to cover a portion of the palms as well.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate a right handed shooter grasping a handgun 10 using gloves 100 and 100′ in a conventional two handed grip. As shown, the viscid areas are strategically located on the gloves so that the viscid areas of the opposite glove contact each other when the shooter takes a conventional two handed grip of a handgun. For a right handed shooter using a conventional two handed grip, the anterior portion of the right thumb overlies the posterior surface of the left thumb and the anterior surface of the left hand fingers overlie the posterior surface of the right hand fingers. As shown, anterior thumb area 144 of right handed glove 100 contacts and overlies posterior thumb area 142 of left handed glove 100′. In addition, the viscid areas (anterior) 154, 164, 174 and 184 of the left handed glove 100′ overlie the viscid areas (posterior) 162, 172, and 182 of right handed glove 100. Viscid area (anterior) 152 of trigger finger 150 of right handed glove 100 provides positive contact with the trigger of the handgun.

The contacting viscid areas provide enhanced tactile feel and increased mechanical friction between the gloves that helps the shooter maintain the proper grip and hand position as the handgun is discharged. It should be noted that the viscid area are located on the gloves not so as to directly contact the handgun, but are located on the gloves to directly contact corresponding or mating viscid areas of the other glove. The primary affect of the viscid areas is to improve the shooter's ability to maintain the proper grip orientation on the handgun, which often degrades after subsequent discharges.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention having significant advantages has been provided. While the invention is shown in only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. The embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is presented to explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings. The embodiment of the present invention may be modified within the scope of the following claims. 

I claim: 1: Shooting gloves worn for shooting handguns, the gloves comprising: a right handed glove adapted to be worn on a shooter's right hand; and a left handed glove adapted to be worn on a shooter's left hand; each of the right handed glove and the left handed glove includes a palm part, an opisthenar part, a wrist part, a thumb part; a first finger part, and a second finger part, each of the right handed glove and the left handed glove also includes select areas on the outside thereof having a viscid surface selectively located so that the viscid areas of the other of the right handed glove and the left handed glove contact and generally overlie each other when donned by the shooter and the shooter takes a two-handed grip of a handgun, the selected areas include a posterior thumb area, an anterior thumb area, an anterior finger area, and a posterior finger area. 2: The glove of claim 1 wherein the posterior thumb area covers the medial portions of the opisthenar part, the wrist part 130 and the posterior surface of the thumb part. 3: The glove of claim 2 wherein the posterior thumb area extends from the wrist part and terminates adjacent the distal end of the thumb part. 4: The glove of claim 1 wherein the anterior thumb area covers the anterior surface of the thumb part. 5: The glove of claim 1 wherein the anterior finger area covers the anterior surface of the first finger part. 6: The glove of claim 1 wherein the posterior finger area cover the posterior surface of the second finger part. 